September

A lot has been going in my life this month. I don’t blog about them very much though. All of a sudden, I felt like blogging about them here will just be too, I don’t know, invasive.

I’ve been feeling miserable lately. I may have smiled a lot in the past few weeks, but deep inside, I’m a big depressed shit. Thank you to my friends for their presence and support.

Enough of this emo crap though. Allow me to share some of the highlights of my September:

 

We “celebrated” Telaw’s birthday a day late, although we had dinner and coffee on September 17.

 

Random Friday night out with the girls from work.

 

My grandma and my aunt Glenda left for the US mid-month. We found out my great aunt had cancer so my grandma had to push her trip a month early!

The Barbie x Local Fashion Designer exhibit at SM. The clothes were sooo adorable. Buti pa ang Barbie, nabibihisan ng mga magagarang damit… sana ako din! LOL

I went out on a random lunch date with my college best friends, Karla and Leonard.

Omay turned 22! She had their finals on her birthday, but we went to her school and surprised her with balloons and cake to celebrate! We ended up having dinner at Yellow Fin with her family…

…and to Kapalong for an extended celebration!

When I got back from Kapalong, I found out my whole family stayed in Apo View Hotel for the rest of the weekend. Dad was in town for a business trip.

 

Lady was in town! We had coffee when we got back from Kapalong!

The days are obnoxiously HOT considering it’s September already. But clear blue skies are LOVE.

Despite all the bad feelings I’ve been having, I’m still very happy that I am surrounded with the most amazing people in the world. But well, I’m looking forward to a new month very much. Hello, October! I can’t wait to start next month’s adventure outside the city!

 

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Food Trip!

I was just browsing through my food blog when it came to me… OMG KAYA PALA AKO MATABA!

Here are a few photos from my archive since June:

Moon Cafe (Cebu), Cafe Demitasse, Blugre, Lachi’s, Coffee Cat, Cups and Lowercase, and Aling Foping’s Halo Halo

Al’s Diner, Mama Maria’s, Coffee Cat, Crepelato, Ice Giants, Basti’s Brew, Coffee Cat, Spirale, Piyesta (Gen San), Zabadani, Salutti, KFC, Fortune Place (South Cotabato), Paterno’s, Bigby’s, California Berry, McDonald’s, Lachi’s, Chicco di Cafe, Cafe Demitasse, I Love FroYo, Johnny Cupcakes, Chowking, Krispy Kremes, Nonki, Yahong, Aling Foping’s, Eagle’s Bar, and Coco’s

Miko’s Brew, Kangaroo, Cups and Lowercase, Greenwhich, Ranch and Reef, Farfalla Pasta Bar, Cello’s Doughnuts and Dips, Kasagingan, Wings and Dips, Cups and Lowercase, Blue Hub, Cake Gallerie, and Blugre

Those in bold are the relatively “new” restaurants/coffee shops/cake shops in town. OMG THIS IS DEFINITELY WHY I’M FAT.

On a parting note, let me leave you with a photo from my lunch with Aia earlier at Wings and Dips:

Combo E: Gambas Pasta, 4pcs Buffalo Wings in Shanghai Chilli Garlic Sauce and Blue Cheese Dip, and Mashed Potatoes!

YUMMY!

Do visit my Tumblr for more foodie updates!

 

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Happy 22nd Chic!

We celebrated Chic’s birthday as a conclusion to our adventures! I think it’s the 3rd time we celebrated a birthday in Nanay Bebeng’s! As usual, buffet overload!

 

As usual, their dessert table was a hit for us! Leche flan, and mangoes and cream FTW! Also, their Kare Kare – pork and beef – are delicious!

Here we go again with plate stacking!

Eleat was joined by Chic’s mom, Tita Elena, and Chic’s best friend since grade school, Yen. Cheers to kababuyan!

We didn’t want the night to end yet, so we decided to go to K1 again for some Wii action!

  

We played Tennis, Boxing, Bowling and Golf! Chic said we were soooo competitive. I was like… YEAH?!

The doctors were only supposed to stay for “10 minutes” because they had to study. But they stayed for a whole hour! RB, Donna, Chic and I decided to finish a couple more Tennis matches before we left.

Yellow was obviously “COLOR OF THE NIGHT”.

Another great night with the bestest friends in the world! Thank you Eleat!

Happy birthday Chicababes!

 

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Crepelato

I first heard about Crepelato in Facebook ~ a friend was tagged at a photo from the store’s fan page. I got intrigued because 1. I LOVE GELATO, 2. I LOVE CREPES, and 3. I AM ON THE LOOK OUT FOR NEW STUFFS IN THE CITY.

 

Crepelato is a relatively small store along Mayon St. (right across the street from the old Sampaguita Inn). I guess it a cool “chill out” place if it’s not packed but if it is… hmm. the place is not that spacey for big groups.

What I love about Crepelato is the fact that you can taste test all you want. While it is staple in all major gelato shops the world over (yes, it is), it’s a first for the mega-third world that is Davao.

There are 12 flavors to choose from (I guess). Clockwise R-L: Blueberry, Mango Float, White Chocolate with Macadamia Nuts, Capuchillo, *forgot*, Vanilla yogurt, Pecan, Strawberry, Avocado, Cranberry and Yogurt, Chocolate, and Durian. And I believe, all their gelatos are HOME MADE!!!

I first went there on my own on a random afternoon before hitting the gym.

Forgive the indulgence. The gelato is 98% FAT FREE so yes. Let us ignore all the calories of the chocolate syrup, whipped cream, chocolate chips, walnuts, corn flakes AND the crepes. Let us focus on the FAT FREE but I digress. Their CAPUCHILLO crepe gelato is love.

I brought my mom and sister there on my second visit. I had the CRANBERRY AND YOGURT. It’s definitely one of my favorite flavors! I got it plain on their Belgian cone.

When I went there again yesterday with mes cousines, I got this:

That’s their MANGO FLOAT crepe gelato. YUMMY! It really tasted like Mango Float!

While Crepelato gelatos are not as rich as I’d have liked it ~ forgive my standards for they are level with Gelatisimo ~ they are still very good considering they are home made! MUST TRY!

Telai’s Rating:  4-stars!

 

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P.S.

I heard Crepelato’s meals are also really good. Shall try them next time!

Johnny Cupcakes

Hello world! Because my time was wasted going to Sonic – turns out they don’t have work today. ARGHHH – I’m looking for new places to hang out at in the downtown area. Been tempted to return to Cafe Demitasse where I had my late lunch yesterday, but resisted the temptation and found JOHNNY CUPCAKES instead.

Obviously, from the name, you’d figure out they sell cupcakes. Right now, I’m enjoying a Triple Chocolate Cupcake and their house blend iced tea:

Sorry for the lack of better photo. I left my camera and memory card reader at home. BLAH.

So anyhoo, I was supposed to go to this pasta place I saw from before. But when I parked the car outside of the place, I sorta decided I didn’t like it there. And when I looked around, that’s when I saw Johnny Cupcake so here I am!

Going back on the food: their Triple Chocolate Cupcake is LOVE. Aside from the frosting and the cake, there’s some chunky choco bits all over it! SINFUL is an understatement. I’m sure my friend Karla would love it! She’d probably only eat 1/4 though… 1/4 of the whole display! HAHAHAHA. (Love ya bitch!)

As for their iced tea… it’s kinda weird at first. It’s not the normal iced tea taste that I know of. It has this kind of bitter after taste. I’m no connoisseur so I won’t even attempt to pinpoint which ingredient is the culprit.

So yeah. Their cupcakes are affordable – only Php40 each! I’m planning to buy a box of 6 so I could try everything! /shhh don’t tell the sibs! Hahaha.

 

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P.S.

Unfortunately, they don’t have —— I was going to say they don’t have wifi here but while writing that I decided to check on the networks available and what do you know! There’s wifi! WEEEE! <3

ELEAT, March 2010

   

Thanks to Chic, we really went all the way with our adventures last month! We weren’t even given enough time to think things over. Things happened in just a *snap*! And it was so awesome!

I can’t wait for our May adventures!

 

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Frozen Yogurt at Coffee Cat

One of the things that I miss most about Manila is Frozen Yogurt (Red Mango!!!)

So when Coffee Cat brought it to Davao, it was one of the happiest moments in my life!

After having dinner at Cafe Andessa, my barkada and I went to Coffee Cat for our healthy-ish desserts!

While I was already full from the yummy dinner, I couldn’t help but binge on these yogurt goodness. I got a medium sized original frozen yogurt with Strawberries, Special K and Chocolate Syrup. YUM YUM YUM.  Frank ordered a similar one but changed the strawberries to blueberries. (eew. gaya gaya! LOL)

I think Lady got the mango and pineapple with corn flakes. I didn’t get to try it though but it’s all good because I’m not a big fan of pineapples. And I think Chic had the blueberry and peaches? Not sure. We forgot to take pictures!

So anyway, if you haven’t tried frozen yogurt yet, go try it now! It’s really delicious! It has this sour-sweet taste that I’m obsessed about. I also really like the green tea frozen yogurt but they don’t have it already at Coffee Cat. They have Chocolate Yogurt instead. You can mix and match different toppings for your froyo (frozen yogurt) so have fun inventing and creating something that you’ll absolutely love!

And while the Yogo FroYo in Coffee Cat is yum, I still prefer Red Mango’s, or White Hat? Hmm. Hopefully, Red Mango and White Hat will come to Davao when Abreeza opens, yes?

 

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Cafe Andessa

Who would’ve thought that tucked in the outskirts of town is this cozy little restaurant that serves really yummy food?!

The Place

I would describe the place as “cozy” and “rustic”. The interior is like a renovated farmhouse of some sorts, with the quintessential ceiling beams in full view of the diners.

Unlike in other restaurants, the decor of the place is subtle and sophisticated.

The lighting is awesome! It’s perfect for vain girls like me! And the mirror decor of the place makes it look so much bigger than it really is!

I must say that my favorite thing about the place are the chairs and the sofas with the little throw pillows. It encourages relaxation and gives the place a really “laid back” feel. While I noticed that the other diners looked “loaded”, the ambiance of Cafe Andessa makes you feel anything but uncomfortable.

And oh, before I forget! Lady really loved their tissue holder!

Like the rest of the decor,  it was oozing with cuteness and sophistication. (OZZOM combo right?)

The Food

I was too hungry to take decent photos of the food. I only took the first two while I grabbed the rest from Lady.

   

We only realized we ordered too much food when they were served! UH-OH. Super pigged out as usual!

For starters, Chic ordered the Taco Salad. It was yum yum yum all the way! Think of it as nachos but without the cheesy sauce. Instead there was beef, lettuce, tomatoes, grated cheese, etc. I loved it!

Chic also ordered the Vegetable Kare-Kare. We thought it would only be vegetables but it was the usual Kare-Kare but with so much vegetables. It was yummy though I don’t like okra. But I prefer Kusina Selera’s version to this one.

Frank ordered the Grilled Rosemary Chops. It was delicious but nothing extraordinary about it. The sauce was interesting though. They served the chops with this sauce made up of apples, some savory vinegar (rosemary?) and carrots.

I decided on the Sisig na Bangus. I’m not a sisig eater, and it was my first Bangus Sisig ever. I found it okay. The bangus was delicious but I didn’t like the eggplant because I don’t eat eggplant (and okra!).

Chic also decided on Chicken Andessa. I loved it. The sauce wasn’t too sweet. However, the chicken were kinda small. I also got the Java rice that went with it. It was yummy and was perfect for the chicken but it was too much to eat with our other orders.

Lady got the Tuna Panga. It was served with a siding of salted eggs and tomato. It was muy delicioso! I think the side dish complemented the tuna panga well, and the panga was well cooked!

We didn’t order desserts anymore. We had Frozen Yogurt at Coffee Cat instead.

The Verdict

Cafe Andessa is a must-try. While it really isn’t that accessible, they have a friendly staff and they serve really good food quickly! Lady especially loved their wash area because instead of toilet paper, they have fresh towels instead. They’re the first restaurant in the city that I know of that practices this. Save the Earth!

 

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Port Cafe, Gaisano Mall

I had lunch at Port Cafe in Gaisano Mall yesterday.

I ordered their Carbonara (P55 with iced tea).

ICK! Never order it there! The meal was served cold, even the garlic bread! I didn’t like it at all! And the service was bad as well!

The place was okay to me before, when I was still a student, because they served relatively cheaper food. However, my tastes have evolved and arggh. I don’t like the food their na talaga!

 

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Today’s Dessert

I was in Ateneo during my lunch break today, and my friends recommended that I try the new mini donuts in the food court.

It was yummy! Only 18php for 6pcs of really small donuts with your choice of powdered sugar (?). I tried the caramel and the chocolate. NOM NOM. My bad for not being able to take a photo of the actual donuts though. SUPER FAIL.

 

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